Firefighters salute procession of Hotshot vehicles

YARNELL, Ariz. (AP) — Firefighters and law enforcement lined an Arizona highway and saluted a procession of fire vehicles from a doomed Hotshot crew that were removed from the scene of the deadly blaze.

One of the vehicles held backpacks, water jugs and coolers from the Prescott-based crew.

The back of the vehicles contained the group's motto, in Latin: "To be, rather than to seem."

The Granite Mountain Hotshots were battling a fire near the small town of Yarnell when they became trapped by flames and died Sunday.

Jim Whittington, spokesman for Southwest Incident Command Team, said Wednesday nearly 600 people are assigned to the blaze.

He says those firefighters and others across the nation are observing moments of silence in honor of the fallen crew.